8th is always Eighth Aero Squadron oldest active serving in USAF. Organized at Kelly Field after original 1st-7th as 1st in 2nd gp of new units congress approved. Be 100 next May and my combat unit SEA as 8th Tactical Bombardment now 8th Special Ops into Ospreys from HC-130s in the Afgan. Now have 11 in UK for commando use anywhere that side of world. Since WWI France were Yellow Birds until went to black ops now Black Birds. Were the real crew extracting folks in Air Force One and only to ever do that. I ran the 50 anniversary party at Clark AB as Snack Bar Officer with the Sqdn credit card and my Enlisted/Officer softball umpire was Wing CO Chuck Yeager because “I been told you have a good eye!”.

http://www.stripes.com/news/ospreys-to-be-based-in-uk-for-special-ops-missions-1.177564

In 1921 the unneeded Air Service fell to an officer and a sgt who both happened to be from the 8th. Sound about familiar? Progressive peacenik W Wilson (he kept us out of war) POTUS ’13-’21. 8

http://8thattacksqdnassoc.tripod.com/Vietnam.html

Always the coolest aircraft description of a B-57 stone age, twin jet dive bomber.

“The pilot was responsible for the 250 knot dive run and bomb release, but the back seat navigator was a second pair of eyes, spotter, observer, navigator and radio operator. On the pullout, the aircraft and crew were under a four “g” stress without the use of special equipment. Several crews were lost in midair collisions, target fixation and ground fire during the night missions. The most sophisticated piece of equipment in the aircraft was the rheostat which lighted the manually operated bomb sight.”

Means with carried survival gear, parachute and seat pack ( raft and rest) weight suddenly over 800 pounds and pull out was Grunt N Groan maneuver until level off at 10K again up from 2K release, dirt commin up real fast! Usually about 5 to 10 times in small individual drops. Went on seemed forever in hour on station over night time Ho Chi trail. Was a gradual losing game all around. Chewed us up one by one. 8

Casualties (1964-1968): Flying the B-57 was a risky business. Out of the 94 B-57s that were assigned to the Southeast Asia theatre, 51 were lost in combat (including 15 destroyed on the ground). By Jul 69 only 8 aircraft were left in the 8th TBS.

Can’t believe how much that silly Medina Base Valley High hillside corner floods back memories! After I arrived Basic Tng on my 24th b’day 24 Sept ’61,I awaited assignment to Jan 3 ’62 Officer Training School right at that entrance. Was made
“Casual assigned” Orderly Room Runner walking base AM delivering msgs and picking up in PM’s. One foine
mid-Dec day was MY name on a set of orders and assigned to OTS Jan 3! I’m a college grad Airman , one stripe and only BA degree without a commission in 5,000 enlistees!
My TI Staff Sgt Jesse Villareal
won bets on I’d outscore all the month’s
basics since 1 Oct ’61 I found later
over a beer but put “Dumb College GUY” to ever degrading positions til from 1st Sq leader to “Chow Runner”
who carried his clip board schedule and “Chow? what’s next?”
and’d trot along to show us where after lunch
like Bfast I’d be 1st in line by being REAL fast to Dining
Hall# 2 ( now BX Garden Shoppe for cow poop fertilizer) climbing outa barracks back winder to save 100′ distance 6:30 AM . Always no waste time so to march in 1st “By Left Flank!MARR!”

Meant hottest, freshest bad coffee, most non-solidified oatmeal and thinest Shit on Shingle
toast and burger grease “go heavy on the flour” starchy hard to wash out 100% cotton Peter Pan collar nonsense blouse every day uniform AFTER Silly Sage Green fatigues, Basics . But made a happy Jesse V TI,lived at home about 3 mile away in ’60 Jeep pick up
where he grew up far W side Barrio. All considere was ME worked Him N’ never caught on! 8

Probs? George were SUCH a flamin Lib’s hard to credit much cept World’s insane … but we knew that short after a brithin butt slap and a cold bath an hustled to cuddle in Mama’s arms. Where’d that nice lady go? 8

Bio blog

Geeze , Errol. “Welcome to Sherwood. M’lady! But “Roger, go for throttle up?” Meant past max turbulence in lift off wake? A scary reminder of an awful morning. That was onea most awesome engines ever in harness but not much different than any time you strapped in and spun on “Contact!” Hand Of God exact on balance beam plus or minus. Lotza times “If that black puff were over here” Adios MF! Damn nice in a long life to just reflect how much were what if’s weren’t! 8

How much were what if’s weren’t?  Whatzat?

I was sposd to be there Aug 26th but she broke another hip June 1st at the fridge getting some midnite sorbet. Years’re getting hard to come by and segue more as bucket list idear than real come true. Fandango in Caborca may hafta do but one I earned dearly.

Whatever? Will beat Mar ’10 in Gold Resource open pit mine opened in Oaxaca. Tom and I “detained” an hour under armed St Mine Police for entering GOROs open entrance KMs long rd and chased down cornered by 2 large guys on 4 wheels with big clubs. Took passports and called the cop. We joked awhile but apprehensive until the hip gun cop had a SUV full of kids to see the gringos. Relaxed some, he took a pencil stub and wrote names and we’ve laughed heads off 6 yrs since. PT? He’d meet us waiting half hr at the bob ware gate and we’d bring sirloins. There’s a thing of take self too serious and Reids did get some ritzy late. Me? Shoot from hip and lotza lip.8

Now for WHY experience counts and why/where!

In college I both sold shoes and waited tables and we DID men’s sox sizes hygienicswise draping the heel to toe over the fist w no complaints as 1st of all a majority fit M, 10-13 is why is made thus. Extreme small and large is ready known to a buyer . So to my experience The Donald my NOT have an extra point there!

Still, selling to guys it was not such an issue but occasionally a really lovely lady, and we at Sommer%Kauffman fought for them when on the floor and UP salesmsn, were a complete gas. Nice fashioned dressed, large boobs and small 7 1/2 Bs ‘d buy a matched set croq pumps and handbag and make both a dream night
and comiss pay day. AH youth!

Always gone by shoe store closing BUT when just waiting bar in hot spot pizza parlor still there closing time? might get both the croq lady and her daughter! Separate or 2 meat combo! Some things better than than a pay day cash out!

But more yet… aint sold shoes nor pizza in 57 years. Good paycheck meant became bought them on my own ever since, still…. AH, youth! Money aint all. But damn close all’s considered ! 8

Really torn today I feel I put up with a lot of unneeded foot dragging and endless complaint of the PT/MEXUS failings. Got some don’t know a gdamnthing spouting off I’m not impreesed at all cept to say go ta hell! Why do I write as I do.? Quite simple I was encouraged by some of the best teachers to just develop natural bent. I think I blogged the progression oncet but will get and link here.

TODAY tho: In Oct ’62 I was about in Nav tng Day Celestial at Waco J Connally AFB. Meant quit reading maps and made own position shooting what you can see in the day. Is sun, always but moon most days and an occasional Mercury 3 “star” fix for exact position. BANGO! All classes halted and Instructors making own maps for every C-123 AF lined up on the field ready to load Ft Hood troops off to Fl bases to hit Cuba. JFK backed the, call them Cuban Nuke Terrorists?, down, we resumed school and combat Air Craft and troops stood down. POTUS kissin up the same thugs today and all’s happy and I’d say Iran’s wanting to join N Korea n the same threat 55 yr later. Who’d a thunk. Soviets yes but even China never put short range missles 90 miles aways and was ready to let them be launched.

Fought it all tooth and nail and carry the scars today. Guess shoulda become a skinny little fink and organized Chicago S side some. 8

Really torn today I feel I put up with a lot of unneeded foot dragging and endless complaint of the PT/MEXUS failings. Got some don’t know a gdamnthing spouting off I’m not impreesed at all cept to say go ta hell! Why do I write as I do.? Quite simple I was encouraged by some of the best teachers to just develop natural bent. I think I blogged the progression oncet but will get and link here.

TODAY tho: In Oct ’62 I was about in Nav tng Day Celestial at Waco J Connally AFB. Meant quit reading maps and made own position shooting what you can see in the day. Is sun, always but moon most days and an occasional Mercury 3 “star” fix for exact position. BANGO! All classes halted and Instructors making own maps for every C-123 AF lined up on the field ready to load Ft Hood troops off to Fl bases to hit Cuba. JFK backed the, call them Cuban Nuke Terrorists?, down, we resumed school and combat Air Craft and troops stood down. POTUS kissin up the same thugs today and all’s happy and I’d say Iran’s wanting to join N Korea n the same threat 55 yr later. Who’d a thunk. Soviets yes but even China never put short range missles 90 miles aways and was ready to let them be launched. 8